Environments in which inventories of objects are managed, such as products for purchase in a retail environment, may be complex and fluid. For example, a given environment may contain a wide variety of objects with different attributes (size, shape, price and the like). Further, the placement and quantity of the objects in the environment may change frequently. Still further, imaging conditions such as lighting may be variable both over time and at different locations in the environment. These factors may reduce the accuracy with which information concerning the objects may be collected within the environment. Additionally, the nature of certain objects, such as those with transparent regions, may further reduce the accuracy of their detection from images of the environment.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.